An opened bed for pick-up trucks have been covered by a variety of tonneau covers such as canvas or vinyl tarps which can be attached by straps, snaps and velcro members, single plastic panels that are secured to side panels of the opened bed by bolts, caps that are attached to the side walls and multi-piece covers that are interconnected by hinges.
Some inconvenience or appearance deterioration may exist with each of such covers, for example with such multi-piece covers, various hinges are exposed to the elements and after a period of time corrosion can occur and worse still water may be communicated to the compartment intended to be covered. One such multi-compartment cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,092 wherein front and rear panels are connected to a center panel through caliper hinges. This type of cover requires multi fasteners and after exposure to the atmosphere over a period of time tend to discolor and may even rust. In addition, this type cover while operating in a satisfactory manner, is limited to the extent that the front and rear panels may be simultaneously opened and they never form a smooth work surface on the opened bed.